Survivors
by thekkid
Summary: 13 year-olds Cassie and Aaron were complete strangers. But after a chance meeting, their lives have been turned upside down. Aaron might think that he saved Cassie, but he soon realizes that it's the other way around. Inspired by BtT.
1. Prologue

**Survivors**

By Kevin Kalis

_**Prologue**_

**(A/N): Hey, for those of you out there who actually read the stuff I write, thanks. Anyway, this story is something that's been buzzing around in my head for a while now. It's got some pretty heavy shit in it here at the beginning. But don't worry. I promise if you stick with me till chapter 3 it'll get all sweet and stuff. But for right now, sit back and read the tragic past of one of my main characters. Oh, and one more thing. The first chapter's a little short because it's the prologue. The chapters WILL get longer. I promise. Okay, on with the show!**

_The rain pelted the window of a small, second story apartment overlooking the New York neighborhood. A young girl sat, curled in the corner, hiding. A vicious pounding came from outside his bedroom door like a battering ram._

_"Open this God-Damn door before I beat your face in you little bitch! I'll KILL YOU!"_

_Tears were rolling down the face of the 5-year old. She couldn't think of what she had done this time to deserve a beating. Suddenly, a crash came from the front of the apartment. It sounded like the wooden door had exploded inward._

_"NYPD! NOBODY MOVE! YOU THERE! ON THE FLOOR!"_

_Screamed a voice. It was unfamiliar to the young girl, as she remained in the corner of his room. There was a lot of ruckus, and then came the loudest thing she had ever heard in her life. Then, it got much quieter in the apartment. _

_All of a sudden, the double padlock that was used to seal her away was gone, replaced by splinters of wooden frame._

_"Mark! I got a kid here! It's the one they called us about!"_

_The child looked at the strange woman with so fear evident on her face. She had never seen anything like her before and the dark blue outfit she wore did nothing to settle her nerves._

_"Don't worry, you're safe now. You're safe." She said in a tone she couldn't place._

_Suddenly, she let out a scream as her father appeared behind the woman, blood dripping from a hole his shirt. In his hand he held a large kitchen knife, already stained with another's blood._

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><p>Cassie screamed as she woke up in bed in a cold sweat. She had dozed off while waiting for her mom to get home. She fumbled around her side table for the lamp. As she flicked it on and illuminated her dark room, the pounding of her heart in her chest seemed to slow. She laid back down on the covers. At 12 (Almost 13), she didn't think that she should still be having nightmares about her past. She was too old for that now.<p>

She looked at herself in her bedroom mirror. She was an average height for her age. She had short, blonde hair that was still messy from bed. She had a single bang that hung down the side of her face. She had fair skin, and flawless complexion. Her muscles were pretty decent, considering the she did no sports whatsoever. Her eyes, though, were piercing blue and often were thought of as her most recognizable feature.

She checked the calendar on her night stand. Tuesday, July 17th. School would be starting again soon. She let out an audible groan as she thought about that. School meant that she could no longer go anywhere in the city at any given time.

Suddenly, she heard the front door of her apartment slam.

"Cassie! I'm home!" Announced a woman's voice loudly as she entered the third story apartment.

Any other parent would have been quiet entering their house at 2 am, but Amy knew full well that Cassie was usually up watching movies at this time of night. And besides, if she wasn't then it would be revenge for keeping her up last Friday when Amy had worked a double shift.

"Okay!" Shouted back Cassie. She suddenly felt much safer. After all, having a police officer as a mother tended to do that.

Amy walked into her daughter's room and sat on the bed.

"Hey there kiddo. Still awake I see. School's coming so enjoy it while you can." She said with a slight smirk.

Cassie groaned into her pillow.

"Okay, well I'm not you, so I need my sleep. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Technically, it is tomorrow."

Amy shook her head at her tired young girl. Even when completely exhausted, she still managed to say things that made her laugh.

"Okay, fair enough. Well, when I wake up again, we can go out to celebrate your birthday a day early. How's that sound?"

Suddenly, Cassie was able to shake off the sleepiness slowly swallowing her. She looked at her mother with as much excitement as she could muster this early.

"Really? You mean it?" She asked in disbelief.

"Sure, why not. Okay, goodnight...morning...whatever. See you in the later." She said with a smile.

And with that, she tucked Cassie in and walked out the wooden door of her room, making sure to leave it open a crack. Before she left, however, she blew Cassie a quick kiss goodnight.

Cassie slowly drifted back to sleep, now feeling much safer. This time, nightmares would not grip her as she fell into a peaceful slumber.


	2. Chapter 1

**Survivors**

By Kevin Kalis

_**Chapter 1: Actions**_

****(A/N): Hey, it's me again. Yes I know, such a shocker! Anyway, this chapter just came to me as I was eating oreos with whipped creme for breakfast. Oh, and another thing. Thank you so much to Light's Servant for being my first reviewer for this story! And another shoutout to F4YD3 for all the support! You guys rock! Anyway, Here's the actual chapter 1. I probably should have released this yesterday with my prologue but I couldn't think of it without oreos and whipped cream. Oh, and all the places I mentioned are from my memories of NY two years ago when I lived there. If some places don't exist anymore, don't hate me! Anyway, enough rambling. On with the show!****

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><p>The pier was packed with people today. The busy rushing to get from place to place was, after hearing it so much, just backround noise. Aaron walked down the pier to the end of the railing. The bay was crystal clear today, as if it was made of glass. He leaned over the metal railing and took a deep breath. The smell of saltwater mingled with the various smells of the city.<p>

A group of pigeons fluttered away from the set of buildings. Aaron let out a deep sigh. The city was so boring this time of day.

"Hey, A! Whats up bro?" Yelled a kid from the roof of the nearest building.

He was a year younger than Aaron's, 12, and had dark brown hair like him, and even darker brown eyes. The kid was looking at him expectantly as Aaron still stood by the railing. Aaron shook his head and jumped off of the pier railing.

"Hey Joey. How much do you need this time?" The older boy asked preemptively.

"Why can't a buddy just come down to the pier and say hi to his close friend? What's wrong with that?" Joey asked innocently.

"Uh-huh. So how much?" He inquired again.

"Oh you know, twenty bucks." He said, slightly embarrased.

Aaron let out as dissapointed sigh as he pulled out his wallet. He handed Joey the twenty. The older boy probably would have asked when he was being paid back, except for the fact that he was probably never going to see the cash again. But hey, if Joey was gone for the day then it was money well spent.

"Thanks broheim! Okay, well, I gotta bounce! Later!" Yelled the excited boy as he ran in the general direction of the arcade.

Aaron gave a little smirk as he walked off towards the coffe shop. The place on 23rd and 9th had the best coffee in the whole city. About a half an hour later, he arrived at _Joe_'s. He walked in and the red headed woman behind the counter smiled at him.

"Aaron! Nice surprise! What can I get ya kiddo?" She asked.

The woman was in her mid twenties with blonde hair and a smile that could blind superman. She was ridiculously energetic even on the worst days and liked to make everyone who came in smile.

"I'm not sure today. Surprise me." Said the young boy with a smile. He liked it when she picked out things for him. Saved him the trouble of choosing.

"M'kay! How about Sarah's specialty!" She said as she whipped herself around laughing.

"Thanks Sarah!" Aaron said as he went to his normal seat in the corner.

The place was pretty empty today as most people were probably getting ready for school and shopping for supplies. School was still a month and a half away but a lot of people that went to his school were just paranoid like that. Sarah sat down in the booth with him, interrupting his musings.

"Here ya go, one iced mocha! So, whats up?" She asked excitedly.

"Nothing much, I'm just really bored today. There's nothing to do." He announced with a sour look on his face.

"Well hey, you could always run over to the _Balley_ gym and tell Mike I said hi!" She said, giving him her best set of puppy dog eyes.

Aaron groaned and shook his head. Mike was her newest boyfriend and he worked over at the gym on 20th and 6th. It was a long walk over there.

"C'mon Sarah! It's like, 90 degrees out there! I don't want to!" He whined.

She looked at him again and then gave him another puppy dog face, but this time she added a sound effect to her act.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please? Pretty pretty pretty please?" How many 'Pretty please's am I going to have to say?" She asked, her eyes now large as a planet.

"Alright, ALRIGHT already! I'll go!" He finally aqcuiesced.

"Thanks so much kiddo! Coffee's on the house!" She announced as he walked out the door.

"Yeah, yeah! I know!"

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><p>The 6 block walk over to the gym was such a drag in Aaron's mind. He didn't mind helping out Sarah, but she <em>always<em> asked him to do stuff like this. Not that he minded, but the incredible idiot known as Mike just plain annoyed him.

When he reache 6th avenue, he bumped into someone on the sidewalk. It wouldn't have even fazed him normally, but this was different. Something about the person he had bumped into caught his eye. The large, black man with a scowl that seemed perpetually etched onto his face glared at Aaron. But that wasn't what had caught his attention. It was what the man was carrying.

It was a USP .45 Caliber pistol tucked into the guy's jacket. The safety was off.

"Uh...sorry." Said Aaron with wide eyes.

Most people would have either left it be or called the police. But Aaron, for whatever reason decided to follow the man. He found himself incapable of letting the matter go in his mind, and he had no cell phone to call the police with.

He followed the man until they had reached another street corner. Aaron followed him into a UPS at the street corner. As he entered the building relief washed over him. He saw a tall, brunette policewoman standing at the counter talking to the clerk. Just as he was about to go up and talk to her though, it happened.

The angry looking black man pulled out the gun he had been concealing. Aaron's eyes went wide with fear. The next few moments seemed to go in slow motion for him. Just as the officer was turning to face the assailant, his shots rang out. Five consecutive shots slammed into the officer and took her off of her feet.

Aaron could only watched as the officer fell to the ground, blood leaking through the bullet holes. The clerk behind the desk was about to pass out and there was a young girl, that he hadn't noticed before, right next to the officer. She was screaming and crying.

"MOM! MOM! GET UP! PLEASE! MOM!" Screeched the young blonde girl.

Then, to his horror, Aaron noticed something else. The man was now pointing his gun directly at the little girl next to the officer. Her eyes shone with fear as the man's cold, unflinching glare passed to her.

Aaron wasn't sure what overtook him. He didn't even think about it. He didn't need to. He launched himself at the man with the gun screaming bloody murder. His face reflected a new rage that he had never felt before.

The man, caught by surprise, was effectively taken off of his feet as the youth tackled the back of his leg and dead legged him. He dropped the gun as he went down and fell directly on his back.

In an instant, Aaron was back on his feet from tackling the man and took the gun that had been on the floor and pointed it in the man's face. The larger man suddenly froze in place.

"Call the police!" He yelled to the clerk, who clutching the phone like his life depended on it. He was cowering in the corner, afraid to move.

"A-a-already...d-d-did." The clerk replied shakily.

The man, who was still in the same position on the floor glared at the kid.

"You're not gonna pull that trigger ya little S.O.B. You don't have the balls." The man spat out in a deep, guttural voice. His eyes were filled with hatred.

"Do you really want to bet your life on that?" Aaron replied, trying to sound confident.

He might have sounded sure of himself, but inside Aaron was more terrified then he had ever been in his life. The man's glare was unnerving, and what he had just witnessed was the scariest thing he had ever seen or done. He knew it was pure luck that he had gotten the gun from the man.

The girl was still crying on the ground, and cradling her mother's head in her arms. Her sobs and tears were flowing freely now, and there were sirens approaching from the street.

While Aaron was distracted, the man took the opportunity to thrust out his leg and kick him straight in the chest. Aaron went down with a dull thud.

The man spun around, got up, and ran out the door. However, as soon as he had gone two steps out the door, a voice over a megaphone announced "DO NOT MOVE! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!"

He continued running, however, and they opened fire. The man collapsed to the ground, riddled with bullets. He cast one final, hateful glare towards the coffee shop and the little boy that had gotten him killed.

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><p><strong>(AN): Just one more quick thing. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I felt that this was a good cutoff point. The next chapter will be out fairly soon (I hope) and will deal with the aftermath. Oh, and for those of you who noticed, yeah that was officer Amy. :(. Okay, well, thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Survivors**

By Kevin Kalis

**Part 1**

_**Chapter 2: Hello's and Goodbye's**_

**(A/N): Hey guys! Sorry I'm a little late, but I'm in Tx again! I had to come all the way down here to see my GF. Anyway, no more shootouts this time guys. Sorry! I kinda wrote this in a few sittings instead of one like usual so if it's a little zig-zag like, my bad. Oh, and if any of you out there reading have any suggestions for what I should do with the story, send them to me and I promise I'll do my best to incorporate them into the story! Thanks!**

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><p>Cassie sat in the back of the ambulance, visibly shaken. Her hair was frayed and there was still blood speckling the front of her shirt. Her sobs had subsided earlier, but she hadn't spoken a word since then. The police had taped off the UPS, and the kid who had tackled the gunman was sitting in a similar fashion over by the other ambulance.<p>

The police were interviewing the kid but Cassie's attention was focused on only one thing. The body being carted out by the medical examiner for autopsy. A single tear spilled over her eyelids as she struggled to hold down the sobs once more. Her mother's partner, Ryan came over to the ambulance with a grim look on his face. His face was a mixture of sorrow, regret, and anger.

"Hey there angel. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" He asked kindly. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest.

Cassie couldn't stop the silent sobs this time as she began to cry once more. She buried her head deeper in Ryan's chest and just stayed that way. He rubbed her back soothingly, and held her tighter.

"Don't worry Cass, everything'll turn out all right. You'll see. It might not seem like it right now, but things will get better. I promise." He said as he continued to hold her gently.

Slowly, her sobs turned into scattered attempts at taking a deep breath, and Ryan loosened his hug. She looked up into his sad eyes and saw the same hurt that she felt.

"Thanks." She whispered quietly.

The older man nodded his head and stood up to go back to work. As he was leaving though, he turned back to say one final thing to her.

"Hey, don't forget to thank that kid too. If it hadn't been for him..." His voice trailed off and he cast his eyes downward.

Cassie nodded that she understood and she watched him walk back to the scene to figure out exactly what had happened. She looked over to where the kid had been and saw that he was done with his interviews. The doctors were closing the doors to his ambulance to take him back to the hospital. She noticed that the doctors were packing up her ambulance as well.

She leaned back as the back doors swung closed and the engine started. The short ride to the hospital was spent staring at the window and trying to process exactly what had just happened.

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><p>Aaron had just spent half an hour describing, in detail, what had happened at the UPS and what he had done. Then he had had the doctors preform a barrage of tests to ensure he was okay and not suffering from shock. He was finished now, and could finally relax. He collapsed into the gurney in the ambulance. He simply didn't have the energy to stay sitting up anymore.<p>

The hospital E.R. was pristine, and had that sickening hospital smell. It was unnaturally clean in there and it unnerved Aaron. He decided that he hated hospitals. His dad was sitting in the chair, smiling at him proudly. He was a decent sized man, with light brown hair and tanned skin. He had decent muscles for a 42 year old man, and virtually no wrinkles. Yet. He had a touch of grey in his hair, probably due to stress from his job. Aaron looked over at him in the chair.

"Hey dad, can you go get me some pudding?" Aaron asked.

"Sure buddy. I'll be right back." His dad replied.

His dad walked out the sliding glass doors and Aaron sighed in relief. He honestly detested all of the attention he was getting. He couldn't understand why everyone was calling him a hero. He hadn't done anything special. Suddenly, he remembered something from the store.

_Mom! Mommy! Get up! Please!_

The girl! How could he have forgotten? What had happened to her? The questions were ebbing at his conscious mind. He called in the nurse to ask.

"Excuse me, ma'am? There was a girl at the store. Do you know what happened to her?" He asked curiously.

"Um...No. I'm not sure. Let me go check with the doctor." She said as she left the glass room.

Aaron laid back in his bed, and waited for her to return. He must have dozed off because when he looked up again both his father and the doctor had entered his room.

"Uh...dad? Did I pass out? And is that my pudding?" He asked.

"Yeah, I came back just now and found you asleep. And about the pudding...I got hungry." He added with a smirk on his face.

He gave a little chuckle as he turned to the doctor. The doctor was a tall man. He had fair skin, dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. His glasses hung around his neck by a string, and the look he gave Aaron was one of both humor and curiosity.

"Hello son, I'm Doctor Myers. Nurse Kay says you had a question?"

"Yeah! At the store, there was a girl. Is she okay? What happened to her?" He asked worriedly

"Ah yes, Cassandra. Well, physically, she's fine." The doctor's brow furrowed.

"However, we've been unable to obtain her mental status as of yet. She hasn't spoken since the incident."

Aaron was definitely not comforted by the doctor's response. He began to fidget uncomfortably in his hospital bed. The doctor seemed to notice his discomfort and spoke again.

"You don't need to worry. I'm sure that she's going to be fine. Young people tend to perservere much more than people my age." He said encouragingly.

"Do you think I could see her?" He asked.

"I think that would be possible. But you have to be very careful what you say. If you upset her I may have to ask you to leave."

"Thats okay. I won't." Aaron assured the elderly doctor.

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><p>As soon as Aaron entered the room, he knew something was wrong. The young girl was sitting up in the bed, her legs tucked to her chest. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days.<p>

"Um...hello?" He asked tentatively as he made his way over to the bed.

She didn't appear to even recognize his existance as her eyes stayed locked on the same spot of the wall. Aaron was beginning to regret wanting to see her. She was in a far worse state then he had imagined and it was making him uncomfortable.

"Uh, did you here me?" He asked quietly.

This time, her concentration seemed to break slightly as she glanced over in his direction. Her eyes were broken and hopeless, and her silence was like a language of it's own.

"Well..."Aaron continued "I just came in to see if you were okay. I gues I'll go now."

He got up and made his way to the door of the room, when he heard a noise eminate from the bed. He turned around to Cassie and looked at her questioningly. He saw no visible change in her position.

"Did you say something?" He asked.

"...Wait." She answered.

Her voice was a hoarse whisper, and Aaron had to strain to hear it. He walked back over to her bed and sat down again. He looked at her expectantly as he patiently waited for more.

"...Th...Tha..." She tried to say more, however her voice began to break in mid-sentence.

"Huh?" He asked as he tried to figure out what she was saying.

"...Thank you." She said as she turned her head to look at him.

She suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug before he could respond. Aaron stiffened as she grabbed him. Hecould feel more tears dripping onto the shoulder of his t-shirt. He had been caught totally off guard by her embrace, and he had no clue whatsoever it was that what he was being thanked for.

"Um...for what?" He asked as he took her shoulders and broke the embrace.

Cassie wiped her eyes so she could see him more clearly. She took a long look at him before she spoke again. She appeared to be sizing him up, or at least, that's what it felt like to Aaron.

"Thanks...for saving me. Ryan said that you saved my life." She said more calmly then before.

"Who's Ryan?" He asked.

"Ryan is my mom's...was his...partner." She answered as her voice began to break once more.

By now, Aaron was extremely uncomfortable. He had no idea what to do, and he didn't have any previous experience with crying girls that told him what he should do. So he did what came naturally to him. He hugged her awkwardly as she continued to sob.

"Oh. Well...you're welcome and...I'm sorry." He responded.

This time neither broke the hug as she let herself cry. She attempted to ask him something but it whatever she had said was muffled in his shirt. He broke the hug again to ask what it was that she had said.

"I...asked..." She spoke taking in deep, unsteady breaths in between words. "What's...your name?"

"Aaron. What's yours?" He asked.

"Cassie." She responded. The look on her face told Aaron that she wanted to ask him something else.

"What is it?" He asked as she stared into his eyes pleadingly.

"Aaron...I need to know why."

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><p><strong>(AN): Hey again! Originally this chapter was longer but I figured this was a good cutoff point. Anyway, I just wanted to say that you guys REALLY need to start reviewing more! I mean, really. I know for a fact that at least 20 of you have read this story this month! But only 5 of you have reviewed and dropped me a cool comment! C'mon! It's not all that hard people! Okay, sorry about the little rant. Anyway, Next chapter out soon I hope!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Survivors**

By Kevin Kalis

**Part 1**

_**Chapter 3: New Places and Old Faces**_

**(A/N): Okay, well I'm picking up right where I left off. Oh and to everyone out ther who keeps asking for faster updates: I'm working on three stories at once here so give me a break! I'm doing my best! Anyway, I hope that this chapter lives up to whatever expectations you may have for me. Oh, and one last thing: could someone please send me a review of that new Green Lantern movie? Tell me if I should go see it or not. Thanks!**

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><p>"Why? Why what?" Aaron asked as he looked at the girl, perplexed.<p>

"I need to know why...my mom..." She said with her eyes pleading for him to understand.

Finally it dawned on him what Cassie was talking about. She wanted to know why her mother had been shot. She _needed_ to know. He nodded his head slowly. In the split second he had to decide, he made his choice. If there was anything he could do for her, he would. Losing a mother was one thing he understood completely.

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><p>"So what happened? Is she going to be okay?" Daniel asked his young son.<p>

"We just talked. And...yeah, I think so." Aaron replied to his father.

Daniel had been talking to the nurse, and it seemed that a horde of press were outside, waiting to hear about Aaron and the Cassie. He had also talked to the police officer that had been with the nurse. Apparently, Cassandra was supposed to stay at the station until they put her into the system, and into foster care. An idea was beginning to worm it's way inside his head. An insane, crazy, stupid, wonderful idea.

"Alright, well just wait here. I'm going to go have a talk with that child services agent for a moment. I'll be back in a minute." He said.

He chuckled to himself as he saw the look of confusion in his young boy's eyes. He would have to remember that one.

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><p>Aaron watched, confused at his father's actions. Why was he talking to a child services agent? Was he in trouble or something? What was going on? He reasoned that it had to do with Cassie, and maybe him too. He watched as his father spent about an hour talking to the woman from child services. Then, after what seemed like forever, the officer that had been standing outside of Cassie's room was called over to them. They talked for another few minutes before the woman nodded her head.<p>

The woman drew out a few papers from her leather briefcase, and set them on the counter. She had both the officer and Daniel sign the papers. Then they shook hands and Aaron's father mad his way back over to the room.

"So what was that all about?" The young boy asked curiously.

"Oh, I just made a few arrangements. Say, you don't mind moving that train set out of the guest room do you?" He replied cryptically.

"Sure, no problem. Why?" Aaron asked, waiting for the big picture.

"Because we're going to be having some company for a while. Your little friend in there. Cassie." Daniel said, grinning at his surprised son.

"Really? That's great! Uh, not that I'm not glad but...why?" he asked, suddenly confused as to the unusual generous streak in his father's actions.

"She has nowhere to go and you two seemed to get along well enough so I just thought..." His father said with a shrug.

Aaron's wide grin was enough for anyone to tell that the decision appealed to him. On his part, he figured it would be easier for him and Cassie to work on their newly dubbed "Mission" if they lived under the same roof. Daniel, however, interpreted his grin differently.

"**Different** bedrooms Aaron." He said sternly.

Aaron's expression quickly went from confused, to shocked, to offended.

"That's NOT what I was thinking! God! Dad!" He said in a horrified tone.

His father gave a chuckle and shot him a I'm-_sure_-it-wasn't look. He shook his head and ignored the rest of his son's defiant cries. As he was walking out to sign the final documents he turned back. The urge to get in one last comment won over his conscience.

"Oh, and Aaron...being 'Her Hero' only lasts for so long. It **will** wear off." He said with a smirk.

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><p>Cassie stepped into the living room of what was her to be her temporary home. She looked around curiously. It was an average room, a dark brown couch and love seat decorated the walls. Above them hung surrealist paintings of various mis-shapen forms and figures. Across from the couch a fifty two inch T.V. sat above a modest desk. Cassie walked past it into the kitchen. It was a modest room too. It quite obviously lacked a woman's touch and had for a long time. She made a mental note to ask about it.<p>

"Alright Cassie, well, this is the place. The guest bedroom is down the hall on the right. I'll get your bags from the car." Announced Daniel.

"Thanks." She replied with a small smile.

She walked to her room, but what she saw surprised her. It wasn't modest like the rest of the house, in fact, it was very extravagant. The wallpaper designs were all bright shades of yellow, orange, and red. The dresser was a large woman's dresser with an elegant mirror. She could tell from the cracked edges of the dresser and the slightly faded look on the wallpaper that no one had stayed in this room for a while. The carpet floor, however, was newly cleaned. She correctly guessed that the room had been cleaned espescially for her arrival.

"So, you like the place?" Aaron asked from the doorway.

"Yeah, it's amazing. It's a lot different from the rest of the house."

"Well, it used to be my sister's. When she went to college I put some of my stuff that was in the garage in here." He said as he ran a finger over the desk.

He had been the one to clean the room before Cassie had arrived. It had needed a ton of work before. He had needed to put things aaway, vacuum, dust, spray, and inspect every inch of the room. It had been meticulous, time consuming work. Definately not Aaron's cup of tea.

"Oh, that's cool. I'm going to unpack now so..." She said cuing Aaron to leave.

"Alright, alright." He said playfully. "I can take a hint. I'm going."

When she was sure he had left, Cassie sighed to herself. This change, while not completely unwelcomed, was going to be difficult. She felt homesick already. She missed her mother, her old house..._NO!_ She mentally berated herself.

_Don't even think about it! Thinking about what's gone never helps! Snap out of it Cass!_

She had never liked pity. Espescially from others. It was a sign of weakness, and Cassie was not weak. She had to be strong, like her mom is..._was_. Before she had time to blink it away, a single tear spilled over her eyelid and crept down her cheek.

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><p>Aaron went to his room and allowed his new guest time to unpack. He clicked on the television in the corner of his room. A stupid cartoon flashed across the screen where some dog and a flame-headed kid were pulling some stupid stunt. He flipped the channels in boredom. He shook his head and was about to stand up when a particular news show caught his attention. A picture of Cassie's mom flashed onto the screen followed by commentary.<p>

"_...And in other news, a decorated police officer was gunned down today in a UPS store. The culprit: one Mason Jackson, was an ex-con."_ The news woman read off her paper. A picture of the gun man appeared.

"_Jackson had been convicted in the fall of '97 for multiple instances of homicide and contract killing..."_ She paused as a picture of another dangerous looking man came onscreen.

_"...He was to be extradited in the following summer, but escaped prison with the help of his former partner.."_ Aaron was interrupted by a noise at the doorway.

Cassie was standing there, her hand up to her face and her eyes wide as saucers. Her expression of shear horror seemed to have been imprinted upon her face by a factory machine. It was an expression so shocked that Aaron was disturbed just looking at it.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong? Cassie?" He asked as she stood there, unresponsive.

"Th-th-thats..." She stammered.

"Yeah?"

"M-my-my..." She shakily continued.

Aaron was usually good at following conversations, but he was completely at a loss as to why Cassie couldn't finish her sentence. Her stuttering was also slightly irritating to the young boy. He didn't show it however, and allowed her to continue.

"What is it? Your what?"

"That's my...dad" She finished. The tension in the air was pallable.

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><p><strong>(AN): Hey, so did you like the cliffhanger there? I know at least 1 of you out there liked my little rant last time so here it is again! Or, at least another one. My computer broke this week so i took it to the guy at the store, and he said he'd get bak 2 me. wen he said 2 come pik it up, it wuz STILL broken! OMG, how hard is it to get a stinkin pc fixed? So anyway, i'm writing this from my macbook btw. So anyway, please review! I love reviews so pleeeeease! I need them to live! My EKG will flatline without them!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Survivors**

By Kevin Kalis

**Part 1**

_**Chapter 4: The New Day**_

**(A/N): Sorry I took so long to get this one out! I have been really just soooooo uninspired lately and I had no clue what to put down. So I did what I usually do when I have zero ideas for this fic. I read my _ABSOLUTE_ favorite BtT fic, A Life Rescued. If you like this, then you'll love it. The first chapter is wierd and you can skip it, but the story's awesome. It starts out as a sci-fi thing, but the author (IHateSnakes) fixed it and turned it into a psychological drama. It's EPIC. Anyway, here's the chapter. Hope it's good enough. On with the show!**

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><p>"Wh-what? That guy? On the news?" Aaron asked her, making sure he had heard her correctly.<p>

Cassie maintained her blank stare and gave a brief nod. She no longer appeared to recognize that Aaron was even in the room. She simply collapsed on the floor, taking shallow breaths. Aaron fumbled for the remote and clicked the t.v. off as fast as possible. He looked back over to Cassie and saw that she was just sitting on her knees in the doorway.

"Uh...Cassie?" He asked nervously.

Her complete lack of response was unnerving him. He decided to switch tactics.

"C'mon, lets go get something to eat."

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><p>Aaron was really amazed. Even though such a drastic event had taken place only a few days earlier, four blocks away it was as if nothing had ever happened. The same people were walking by the same stores, doing the same business as before. It amazed him how something so dramatic had seemingly no effect on the rest of the city. He realized though, that as soon as the police released the news of his little heroics, that his anonymity would vanish.<p>

By the time the pair had arrived at Aaron's favorite coffee place, Cassie had regained most of her composure. Almost immediatly after entering the shop, the pair was almost tackled by an overly excited redhead. Sarah had seen them coming in and immediatly pulled Aaron over to the T.V. in the corner.

"Oh man! Aaron! You have **GOT **to see this! You're on T.V.!" She yelled.

If she didn't already have the pair's full attention, she did now. The news show on channel six was displaying a report of what had taken place the previous day, only this one had security camera footage. It showed everything that had taken place in the grainy tape.

"..._And earlier today the police released this footage of the shooting on 6th, showing the incredible heroics of an extraordinary young boy._" The reporter continued on, while Aaron's school picture came on screen.

"_Aaron Jacobson, age twelve, has been unavailable for comment as of yet..._" Sarah muted the T.V. after that.

She looked at the younger boy with an expression somewhere between wonderment and disbelief. The only reason he had recognized her look was because all the doctor's had given Aaron the exact same look when he had checked out of the hospital.

"A! You're like, a real hero!" She exclaimed, acting more like a fan than an adult.

Her adoration was obviously embarrassing to him, despite his pathetic attempts at disguising it. When Cassie pointed this out he could feel the blood rushing to his face. Cassie giggling at the sight of it didn't help either.

"Anything you want on the house!" Sarah told him as she headed back to the counter.

Aaron's earlier embarrassment seemed to have been forgotten as soon as she said those words. He and Cassie grabbed their drinks and thanked her as they headed back to the house.

After they had walked about two blocks, Cassie started giggling. She would start giggling in short bursts, stop after a few seconds, then start all over again. After about a minute of this, Aaron finally gave in to his curiosity and asked what was so funny.

Cassie started to respond, but she couldn't hold it in and finally burst out in a laughing fit as she struggled to tell him. It took her almost a full two minutes to calm down, in which time Aaron had begun to laugh. Finally, after she had calmed down, she was able to tell him.

"_Oh Aaron!_" She exclaimed, miming Sarah, "_You're such a hero! Oh Aaron!_"

This sent both of the preteens into another giggling fit as they walked past the pier. The laughter of the two was drawing a few amused looks from people passing by, but it went unnoticed by them.

"Oh, come on! She wasn't _that _bad!" Aaron defended as his laughter subsided. They stopped by the dock railing that they had been passing.

"She was _so_! Did you even see her? I thought her eyes might pop out of her head!" Cassie exclaimed playfully.

Aaron's cheeks began to redden as he realized the truth of her statement, which only served to draw more laughter from his companion. Just then, someone familiar to him popped around the corner, saving him from further embarassment.

"Yo! A! What goes on bro-hemeth?" Yelled Joey, in his typical not so subtle approach.

"Hey Joe! Nothing. What's up wi-" That was as far as Aaron got, because as soon as Joey spotted Cassie, he grabbed Aaron and dragged him a few feet off.

"Dude! Who's the chick? Your _girlfriend_?" He said teasingly towards the older boy.

"No way!" Aaron said, as he instantly started to defend himself. "We're just **friends**! Geez."

Joey just smirked as they turned back to Cassie. The younger, dark haired boy was obviously not going to let the matter go so easily.

"So, you live around here? What's your name? How come I've never seen you around here?" He asked, cutting off anything Aaron could have said.

Cassie handled the barrage of questions as best as she could manage. She was somewhat overwhelmed at first, but after she took a second to sort out the quick succession of questions in her mind, she answered him just as quick.

"I guess I live around here now, Cassie, and probably because I've never been here." She said confidently. Her reply seemed to satisfy the dark haired boy, if only for now.

"Okay, well I've got to go now. Sam's gonna kill me if she finds out that I ditched my Gram. Later!" He yelled as he ran off.

Cassie laughed as she saw him leave and looked over at Aaron questioningly. He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he began to explain exactly what had just happened.

"That was Joey. Yes, he is always that hyper. Sam is his twin sister. No, she's not crazy like him. And yes, he ditched his grandmother." He listed off on his fingers.

Cassie just smiled and shook her head amusedly. She was _definitely_ going to have to hang out around him more. If only for amusement's sake. Not to mention that she was a little curious about his sister too.

"Come on. We still have one last stop to make before we head home." Aaron said as he gave her a strange look.

Her confusion was evident on her face, but she shrugged it off and followed his lead.

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><p>The subway was massively crowded, as usual. People were pushing and shovig their way through the enormous mass of bodies. Cassie and Aaron were able to avoid most of them, using their short statures to their advantage. The pair boarded one of the trains and sat down as it rocketed off. Cassie was gazing around in wonderment at everything on the train.<p>

"What? First time or something?" Aaron asked as he shuffled around in the cushioned seat.

"Uh-huh. I've never actually rode the subway. I always took a cab or something." She said as she continued to stared at the lights rushing by the windows.

"Wow! You're kidding! Well, you look like you like it." He said, smiling amusedly at her look of awe.

Cassie took her eyes off of the surrounding for a moment and looked him in the eye. Her eyes were still wide, and she was sure that she had a goofy smile plastered to her face.

"From now on, this is the _only _way we go anywhere!" She exclaimed as she looked back to the surrounding.

Aaron couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. He couldn't figure how someone who lived in New York could have never taken the subway before, let alone be so awed by it. He grabbed her hand and guided them to the doors as the train slowed down near their stop.

The two exited the subway tunnel with slightly less hassle, and he proceeded to drag Cassie an extra block before she realized where they were. The young boy had brought her to the best place in the whole entire city.

"Central park! Cool!" She exclaimed happily. Then, on a more curious note, she inquired as to why they had gone there.

"I always come here during the day. Besides, it's only like noon, and I want you to meet someone." He said, smiling. They laughed and started walking down one of the many pathways.

"So who is it I'm supposed to be meeting?" She asked curiously.

"I'll tell you right after the race." He said, smirking.

"What race?"

"The one that you just lost!" He yelled as he took off in a full sprint down the path.

She laughed as she yelled how much of a cheater he was as she took off after him. They ran at top speed down and through the park, narrowly avoiding collisions with some kids playing football.

Just as Aaron began to slow down and lose some of his speed, Cassie tackled him to the ground from behind. Laughing, the two wrestled briefly before she had his arms pinned to the ground and was straddling his stomach.

She stuck out her tounge playfully and exclaimed that she was the winner. Though out of breath, Aaron managed to get enough energy to hook his legs at her sides, and flip them over so he had her pinned. She had been over confident, and was taken by surprise as she found herself the one pinned by the arms.

"So now who's the winner?" He asked smugly.

As he pulled Cassie to her feet, the blonde exclaimed, "Not you!" and pulled him back down instead. She laughed as she jumped up and started running again.

"Oh no you don't!" Aaron yelled as he chased after her.

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><p>The railing beside Bethesda Fountain had a great view of the lake, and the small plaza it was built in wasn't usually too crowded until the afternoon. It was usually a great place to relax during the day, apart from the main crowds.<p>

Cassie and Aaron sat at one of the benches to cool down from all the running they had just done. The shade was nice and there was a cool breeze in the air that felt great on the hot summer day.

"I've never actually been in this part of the park. It's a lot different from everywhere else. Quieter." Cassie said as they relaxed in the shade.

"This is the mall. It's quiet now, but it gets pretty crowded in the afternoon and at night. It's really nice around here during the day, though." Aaron explained as he scanned the area.

"What are you looking for?" Cassie asked after about five minutes of sitting.

"Umm..." Aaron replied. Suddenly though, his eyes lit up and he shot out his hand. "Her!"

He was pointing at a young, raven haired girl with a light tan and grey colored eyes. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and she seemed to spot them at the same time as they spotted her.

"So who's that?" Cassie asked as the girl made her way over to them.

"That's Jessica, my cousin. She lives about a block away from here." He whispered as she approached the bench.

"A! What's up?" The black haired girl exclaimed happily as she embraced him.

"Nothing much. This is Cassie. Cassie, this is Jessie." He said as he stepped back a little.

The two girls instantly hit it off. Cassie noticed, however, that her new found friend was delicately trying to avoid bringing up the events of the past few days or her mother. The small gesture was well appreciated as they continued to talk.

Aaron had wandered off to get some food, saying that he would be right back. The two girls let him go, and continued with their conversation. However, as soon as he was out of earshot, Jessie switched topics with ridiculous speed.

"So you're staying with them?" She asked, cutting Cassie off in mid-sentence.

"Yeah, why?" The blonde haired girl asked curiously.

"You have _got_ to do _something_ about that house!" Jessie yelled playfully. "Ever since Jamie, his sister, moved out of there...UGH!" She ranted.

Cassie smiled and laughed at the wild hand gestures that her new friend was making. She had an idea of what Jessie was going on about, and completely agreed with her. She _had_ noticed that the house was slightly lacking in a woman's touch. Though, she didn't find it as distressing as Jessie seemed to.

"Okay, okay. It's not all _that_ bad though." Cassie told her. She felt the need to defend the taste of Aaron's dad a _little_ bit.

"Yeah, it really is. Just...promise me that you'll try?" Jessie pleaded.

"Alright! Why don't you just do it, though?" Cassie inquired.

"Because uncle Danny wouldn't let me comment on his _hair_, much less his house." She said making a sour face.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." The blonde girl agreed.

Aaron came back just as Jessie was leaving. They bid eachother goodbye, and started to head home. Cassie hadn't realized how long they had bneen in the park. It was already four o'clock!

The two started to head home when Aaron asked what they had been talking about. She replied that it was just 'girl stuff', and he shrugged it off. The trip home was just as chaotic as the one to there had been, and the subway was even more crowded in the afternoon than during the day.

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><p>Cassie realized that Aaron's dad was an amazing cook as he had made fettucini alfredo that looked like it belonged in a real restaurant. Aaron told her that he wasn't too bad at cooking either.<p>

Later that night, as Cassie lied awake in bed, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could get used to this new life. It would definitely take some time, but it wasn't as impossible as she would have thought.

Sleep came quickly, as the busy day had left her totally drained. She allowed herself to drift off into a deep, restfull sleep.

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><p><strong>(AN): Again, so sorry it took so long! Please don't hate me! And one other thing. A lot of you out there wanted to know mre about Cassie's dad, and that was actually what this chapter was supposed to be about! But I realized that what I had put down actually worked better later on in the story, so please don't hate me for that one! Anyway, I hope that this chapter was okay, because it was definitely the longest I've written! I felt it needed some happiness in it, because after reviewing some of the chapters, it seemed really depressing. Thanks for reading!**


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